Christmas Gift Ideas: The Dirty Dozen for Your Traveller Friend

You have a little less than three weeks before Christmas and you’re still not sure what to get your friend or family member who spends most of his time and money on his so-called wanderlust.

His instagram feed is the envy of all. His skin is always tan. His fridge door is filled with souvenir magnets from his travels. He’s a travel crackhead. Here are a few ideas on what you can get your travel junkie friend for the holidays – from the pricey to the affordable.

This list is arranged from affordable to pricey and every item can easily be found in any shopping mall.

1. Travel organizer aka Packing organizer – If your friend is a bit OCD, you can give him these bags that fit into bigger bags that fit into even bigger bags. You can get those that organize your documents, passports, reservations, etc or you can get those that can fit make-up kits, toiletries, or clothes. If your friend is a slob, then maybe getting an organizer for Christmas might help him tidy up.

2. Travel journal – Some people just wanna write it all down. Some people just need to jot down their expenses. Some people just wanna doodle. For all these, a pocket journal will come in handy.

3. Dry bag – This is the best way to waterproof your stuff. It can also double as a travel organizer and it comes in a lot of sizes. Some dry bags come with backpack straps so you can leave your luggage at the hotel and carry the dry bag for a hike or when island hopping with your gadgets, food, or extra clothes safely inside. They’re available in outdoor gear stores like Habagat, Sandugo, or Conquer, and a few online merchants.

4. Camera strap – It doesn’t matter if your friend is a DSLR user or a point-and-shoot kind of guy, camera straps will always come in handy. My favourite ones, I buy from Punchdrunk Panda because they have the most adorable designs. Gouache has those leather camera straps for a more sophisticated look.

5. Travel blanket – I’m a sleeper and my travel plans hardly jive very well with my work schedule so I tend to sleep everywhere and every chance I get. For those cold red eye flights or chilly bus trips, a small blanket is perfect to catch a few zzzz’s.

6. Travel pillow – That round squishy thing on which you can rest your head. Goes with the travel blanket. Nuff said.

7. Flip-flops – For beach walks, city tours, or short hikes, nothing beats a sturdy pair of flip-flops.

8. Meal kit – It’s more of a camper thing. We always end up having to bring extra food or not having any plates or having to take leftovers. You can always buy tightly-sealed plastic containers (like Lock & Lock or Biokips), portable utensils, or those expandable eco meal kits like those available in Make Room.

9. Portable speakers – My friends and I have a habit of camping out and traveling to non-touristy places so we have to bring a lot of our own stuff especially our own entertainment. It doesn’t matter if you’re chilling or partying, music always sets the mood and good quality portable speakers instantly improves the setting.

10. Power bank – I belong to a generation that thrives on mobile phones and wi-fi connection but none of this would be possible without electricity. When stuck in places without any power sources, it’s good to have back-up. Just make sure the capacity of your power bank is enough to sustain your gadgets by checking the battery capacity. Now if only these things could power up cameras too.

11. Rash guard – Whether you’re into hiking or swimming or biking, a rash guard is always considered as a good clothing choice. It can protect you from the sun or mosquito bites or jellyfish stings. You can buy department store labels or go all out with Roxy, Under Armour, or Quiksilver.

12. Sports watch – This kind of present just has INTIMATE written all over it. It also has practical written all over it because sports watches can stand whatever weather you’re under or whatever activity you do. A good sports watch from say Timex or Swatch is a good investment but some brands can get super pricey so maybe save those for someone really close or special.

I hope this list helps you with your Christmas shopping. Happy Christmas everybody!

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Published by Chris Manansala

23-year old tummy stuffer and camera clicker from Manila who watches too many movies and crime-solving shows. I eat everywhere, travel a lot, and can make a bad-ass batch of brownies.
View all posts by Chris Manansala